The Wilkinsons: Family of Ironmasters - The Iron Bridge

Two questions emerge, now that a substantial sum of money is available and a group of Subscribers formally identified to carry the work forward. If Wilkinson, with Pritchard, conceived the revolutionary idea of an iron bridge in the first place why did he not at this stage undertake the iron work of the bridge himself? And was Abraham Darby, a comparative youngster, capable and confident enough to cast the huge spans that Pritchard’s design demanded even with all the experience of the Coalbrookdale Company behind him?

Annotation:

Article discusses why Wilkinson, who conceived the revolutionary idea of an iron bridge in the first place, did he not undertake the iron work of the bridge himself.